Blank-book.



no, 860,514. PATENTED JULY 16, 1907. H, c. BATTER & w. J. RUBLE. BLANK'BODK.

APPLIOLI'IOI TILED 001. 18. 1908.

UNITED sTATES PATEN'l OFFICE.

HENRY CLAY BATTEN, OF MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WILLIAM J'. RUBLE, OF SMITHFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

BLANK-BOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1&0'7.

Application filed October 18, 1906. Serial No- 339,584-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY CLAY Barron, acitizen of the United States, residing at Morgantown, in the county of Monongalia, State of West Virginia, and WILLIAM J. RUBLE, a citizen of the United States, residing ,at Sm'ithfield, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blank-Books, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in blank books having forms or leaves that are detachable from stubs or portionswhich remain in the book, such for example, as bank check books, receipt books, note books and the like. Books of this character now in general use have their leaves or pages bound tightly together so that in filling out the stubs it is necessary to hold back the stubs of the forms or leaves already used and removed from the book. This greatly inconveniences the writer and it is almost impossible to fill out the stubs after a half or two-thirds of the book has been used.

One object of our invention is to overcome this objection and we accomplish the same by providing in the book .a compartment into which the stubs may be placed after they are filled out and their forms or detachable'portions have been severed from them, the leaves or pages of the book being preferably retained in the same by detachable fastenings which permit the used stubs to be folded back and out of the way of the stub on the uppermost leaf or form of the book, thus giving the writer an unobstructed surface over the entire blank form and its attached stub.

A further object of the invention is to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character and thereby render the same more convenient and effective and at the same time less expensive.

Further objects and advantages as well as the structural features by means of which they are attained will be madeclear by an examination of the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved blank form book or stub book showing its cover in an open position; Fig. 2 is'a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the same showing the top or cover in its closed position in dotted lines and in its open position, folded back under the bottom of the book, in full lines. Figs. 3, 4 are perspective views of the two members of the detaehable fastening for securing the leaves in the book; and Fig. 5 is a detail transverse sectional view through the telescoping portions of one of the detachable fastenings.

The preferred embodiment of our invention shown in the drawings comprises a cover 1 consisting of top and bottom sections 2, 3 united by a back section 4. One end of the bottom cover section 3 is extended as at 5 to form one side of the back cover section 4, the other side of the latter being formed by the inner portion 6 of the top cover section 2. The back cover section 4 further consists of the upright wall or portion 7' and the two triangular-shaped end walls 8, 8. It will be observed upon reference to Figs. 1, 2 of the drawings that the parts 5. G, 7, S of the back cover section 4 form a compartment 9 adapted to receive the filled-out or used stubs 10 of the blank forms or leaves 11 of the book. Each of the leaves 11 may consist of any number of blank forms which are detachably connected to each other and to the stubs 10. As shown in Fig. 1 each of the leaves 11 consists of three forms and three stubs, the leaves being made detachable from each other and from their stubs by providing rows of perforations 12.

The leaves 11 of the book are preferably retained in the latter by detachable fastening devices 13 such for instance as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 of the drawings. Each of these fastenings 13 consists of two members or sec tions 14, 15, the former being permanently secured upon the bottom cover section 3 of the back and the latter removably engaged with the member 14. This member 14 consists of an attaching plate 16 suitably secured in the cover section 3 and having projecting from its top two parallel tubular uprights 17. The latter are preferably cylindrical in form and have formed in their sides at one or more points parallel longitudinally-extending slits 18 which latter form between them friction jaws 19 which are stamped or bowed outwardly, as shown in Figs. 3, 5 so as to frictionally engage the inner surfaces of the two ends of the member 15. The member 15 is preferably U-shaped and has its two ends or arms 20 hollow and of cylindrical form so as to telescope the uprights 17 of the member 14. By slitting these uprights 17 and bowing the portions 19 outwardly it' will be seen that the arms 20 of the member15 will be frictionally held thereon; at the same time the stubs 10 may be readily applied to or removed from either of the uprights 17 when the member 15 is detached therefrom. In each of the stubs 10 is formed an opening 21 through which one of the uprights 17 is adapted to pass. While any number of the detachable fastenings 13 may be employed we preferably use two, as shown in Fig. 1. The stubs of the leaves 11 which are not engaged with the fastenings 13 are also formed with apertures or openings 22 similar to the openings 21', and each of the blank forms of the leaves 11 is also preferably formed with a similar aperture or opening 23. These openings 21, 22, 23 may be employed for filing away the stubs and their corresponding forms after they have served their purpose.

The top cover section 2 is preferably made in three foldably or hingedly connected portions 6, 24, 25. The portion 6 is of a width corresponding to the width or height of the upright wall or portion 7 of the back section 4, so that the cover 2 may be folded back and underneath the bottom 3 of the book, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. Formed in the portions 24, 25 of the top cover section 2 are longitudinally-extending slots 26 through which the upper ends of the iastenings 13 are adapted to project when the top cover section is in its closed position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The portions 24, 25 are foldably or hingedly connected to enable the outer portion 25 to swing down fiat upon the uppermost leafor page of the book when the latter is closed.

The construction, use and advantages of the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following brief statement. By removing the members 15 of the fastenings 13 from the members 14, the leaves 11 may be secured in the book by passing the outermost uprights 17 of each of the members 14 through the apertures 21 in the stubs, and then replacing the members 15 upon the members 14, as shown in Fig. 2. After all forms of one leaf or page have been filled out and detached from their corresponding stubs the latter, Without being severed from each other, are swung over upon the bottom or side 5 of the compartment 9 forming the back cover section 4 of the book. The used stubs are thus collected and retained in the compartment 9, as will be clearly seen upon reference to Fig. 2, and a free or unobstructed surface will be left over the uppermost leaf 11 in the book. When the leaves have all been used, the stubs in the compartment 9 may be removed and filed away and a new set ofleaves may be replaced in the same book cover, thus enabling the latter to be repeatedly used. By providing the top cover section 2 with the several foldably or hingedly connected portions it may be folded back or beneath the book so that the latter may be conveniently handled.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention it will be understood that we do not wish to be limited to the precise construction herein set forth, since various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our said invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A book comprising a cover having a bottom section, a top section and a back section uniting said top and bottom section and forming a compartment, and means for retaining upon saidbottom cover section leaves having stubs and portions detachable therefrom, said stubs being adapted to be folded over into said compartment when used.

2. A book comprising a bottom cover section having an extended back end, a top cover section, an upright back cover section projecting from the extended rear end of the bottom cover section and hingedly united with said top cover section, upright walls uniting saidupright end cover section and the extended end of said bottom cover section and forming a compartment, and detachable fastening devices arranged upon said bottom cover section for retaining thereon leaves having stubs and portions detachable therefrom, the stubs when used being adapted to be folded over into said compartment formed in the back of the cover, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

3. A book comprising a bottom cover section having an extended back end, a top cover section, an upright back cover section projecting from the extended rear end of the bottom cover section and hingedly united with said top cover section, upright end walls uniting said upright end cover section and the extended end of said bottom cover section and forming a compartment, pairsof stationary uprights upon said bottom cover section, a plurality of leaves having blank forms and stubs separated by rows of perforations, said stubs being formed with perforations to receive said uprights, and substantially II-shaped fastening bars detachably engaged with said uprights, said compartment formed in the back of the book being adapted to receive the used stubs, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth. I

4. A book comprising a bottom cover section, a top cover section consisting of hingedly connected portions and formed with slots, a back cover section uniting said top and bottom sections and having upright side and end Walls forming a compartment in the back of the book between said top and bottom cover sections, and fastenings upon said bottom cover section for retaining thereon leaves having stubs and portions detachable therefrom, the upper ends of said fastenings being adapted to project through the slots in said top cover section when the latter is closed.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aifix our signatures in the presence of witnesses.

HENRY CLAY BATTEN. VILLIAM J. RUBLE.

Witnesses as to Henry Clay Batten:

'lrros. RAMAGE, VAN A. BARnrcKMAN.

Witnesses as to William J. Ruble:

.Txo. Bornn, LUKE McKi'rTrcK, 

